


Sharing a Meal

by TheCrowMaiden



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe, Clack meets FE3H, Cloud is Byleth, For a Friend, Just Zack making a new friend through the power of food, M/M, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-12-20 19:01:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21061619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCrowMaiden/pseuds/TheCrowMaiden
Summary: When Zack hears about the new Professor, the rumours about the stranger don't mean a thing. He just knows he's about to make a new friend.(Also known as: a small thing I wrote awhile back just to amuse my friend waifujuju! We ended up hashing out a lot stuff for this idea, but I don't know if I'll write any more for it.)





	Sharing a Meal

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WaifuJuju](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaifuJuju/gifts).

“I’m just saying, Lord Sephiroth doesn’t trust easily…But he made the guy a professor just like _that_!”

Zack’s head, which had been bowed over his plate as he shovelled down his dinner, snapped up so fast that a morsel from his last bite flew from his lips to hit the man across from him. Mouthing a quick apology to the now-food-splattered Angeal, Zack turned bright eyes to the monk who had spoken.  
  
“We’ve got a new professor? That Seph chose?” Zack clarified eagerly, food forgotten. “Who? Is he already here? What’s he look like?”  
  
Undeterred by the display of Zack’s—frankly common—enthusiasm, the monk scanned the dining hall before replying and pointed out a spiky blond with a flat and guarded expression.  
  
“There; the kid in the shoulder armour. He’s barely older than most of our students. He’s not even older than me.”  
  
“Hey, neither am I.” Zack grinned and jumped to his feet. “What's his name?”

“Don't know.” The monk blinked, and when he spoke again his voice was laced with suspicion. “But they called him the ‘Ashen Demon’ when he was a mercenary. It suits him. Haven’t seen so much as a smile since he got here.”  
  
“He’s just overwhelmed; a friendly face to share dinner with is all that he needs!” Zack grabbed his tray and headed toward the kitchen for a refill, ignoring Angeal’s quiet comment that the last thing an overwhelmed person needed was _Zack’s_ company.

It wasn’t that Zack meant to be a handful. He just liked living life too much to take it slow.  
  
With his plate loaded with the trio of sweet buns he had wheedled from the cook, he walked over to the new professor. The man was sitting alone at the end of one of the massive dining hall tables, staring at his empty tray. Zack sat down across from him with a thump, making the bench creak, and flicked his hand in a casual wave.  
  
“Hey!”  
  
The blond’s expression barely changed in reaction to the intrusion and greeting, apart from a slight widening of his eyes. But the light blue gaze was only cautious, not cold, so Zack grinned as he loaded the other man’s plate with the bread.  
  
“These are the best sweets you’ll find in all of Midgar, buddy. Our bakers are practically magical. Give ‘em a try.”  
  
For a moment, Zack thought the man was going to cut and run. There was a touch of panic in the way his well-built shoulders hunched as he assessed the room at lightning speed before he looked back to his plate. But then he reached down and tentatively picked up a bun, sinking his teeth into the sweet dough. A tiny smile hovered at the very edge of his pale mouth, and Zack almost cheered to see it.  
  
“Told you they were good!” Stretching out one dark hand, Zack settled into his spot on the bench. “What’s your name? I’m Zack.”  
  
Again there was a pause, but then a bony hand reached out to grip Zack’s, and the blond’s handshake was firm. Sword calluses on the soon-to-not-be-a-stranger’s hand matched the ones that Zack had— giving a hint as to why Seph had given him the job—but his voice had no trace of arrogance when he finally replied.  
  
“Cloud.”

“Nice to meet you, pal!” Zack leaned on one elbow, and swiped one of the buns back off of Cloud’s plate just to see what he’d get for a reaction. The other man’s eyebrows drew together in a puzzled way, but he picked up the remaining bun to pick it apart without comment. Cloud’s eyebrows did lift when Zack stole one of those pieces as well, and Zack laughed as he tossed the remaining whole bun back. The ‘Ashen demon’ was nothing more than awkward guy!  
  
“Here, you look like you need the calories more than I do. Tell you what, I'm really good at getting extras from the cooks. How about you sit with me for meals?”

“…Sit _with_ you?”  
  
Cloud looked a little lost, and Zack’s heart suddenly ached for the man. Even though he was clearly handsome, and had won the trust of the notoriously cautious Seph, Cloud seemed baffled by the idea of someone wanting his company. As if it had never happened before.  
  
Well, Zack would fix that.  
  
“Yeah, buddy. You and me? We're gonna be friends. Okay?”  
  
And Zack felt heat touch his cheeks when that whisper of a smile crossed Cloud’s face once more.  
  
“Okay.”


End file.
